Electric-lighting fixture.



I 1. H DAL E. ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19. 1914. LKEQGU. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

1. H. DALE.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 19H.

5 l 9 1 n0 1 v" 0 N d w H e t a P.

2 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

JOHN H. DALE, OF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. lPatcntcd NOV. 16, 19115,

Application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 872,880.

0 all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, JOHN H. DALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan -and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Electric-Ligl'iting Fixtures, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

. This invention relates to fixtures for electric light systems.

The two systems. of electric lighting in common use may be generally characterized as direct and indirect, the former permitting the rays from the lamp to strike directly upon the surface to be illuminated, While in the latter the path of the rays is ob structed by an inverted shade or globe which depends from the ceiling,,and which may be opaque or translucent, to wholly or partially deflect or diffuse the rays to give a more subdued, but uniform, source of illumination.

The common form of fixture for direct lighting as used in ofiice buildings and the like, comprises a shell which is secured to the ceiling and which carries a lamp socket receiving the lamp, the rays of which are directed downwardly by any of the Well known types of bell-shaped shades. In indirect lighting systems, however, the lamp is supported at a considerable distance from the ceiling, and positioned beneath the lamp is an inverted dome-shaped shade or canopy which is held in suspension by chains attached at their upper ends to the structure at a point adjacent the ceiling. It is now becoming custonn'iry to install one or the other of these lighting systems in accordance with the desire of the tenants, but it frequently happens that after one system is installed, the same, or a new occupant, requests it to be changed to suit his particular needs. Herctofore, in so far as I am aware, this has required the complete pulling out of one fixture and the replacing of it by another, which is suited for the desired purposes, which changes can only be efi'ected at a considerable expense of time and labor.

.The objects of this invention are, therefore, to provide a fixture which'can be readily converted from one form to the other without disturbing any of the parts of the fixture which are pern'lanently secured to the ceiling or like supporting structure, the change being easily and readily efi'ected without requiring the services of a skilled electrician to make any alterations in the electrical connections, and the fixture when in use with either system being complete in itself and of a highly ornamental and attractive appearance.

With these and other objects in view which will be obvious to one skilled in the art from the detailed description hereafter to follow, my invention consists of the constructions and combinations described in detail and particularly'pointcd out in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a lighting fixture constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention assembled for use in an indirect lighting system; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the upper portion of the fixture shown in Fig. l; and Fig 3 is a detail showing the manner in which a portion of the fixture may be utilized for direct lighting.

Adapted to be secured to a ceiling or like supporting structure is a spider 1 having an annular flange 2, the upper edge of which is adapted to .rest against the ceiling or lire Passing through a supporting structure. centrally disposed opening in thespider is a pipe 3 to which the spider is secured by a nut 4, the pipe 23 being the ordinary outlet which is ordinarily used in lighting systems through which the conductors are led, which supply the current .for the lamp. These spiders are generally placed in position when a building is being wired and are permanently secured in place over each outlet, while the other portions of the fixtures are adapted to be secured thereto after the building is completed and ready for occupancy, since the further installation requires merely the conductors to be spliced together and does not require the use of any tools, as will be apparent from the description hereinafter to follow. Depending from this spider is a sul'istantially cone-shaped shell 5 which is provided with an annular flange 6 adapted to fit over a portion of the flange of the spider to centrally position it and hold it against lateral movement. The'shel is detachably secured to the spider by means of the screws 7 which pass through key-hole shaped slots (not shown) in the shell, which is then turned to bring the smaller portion of the slots into engagement with the shank ot the screws, atterfwhich the screws are' the supporting structure for a pull socket 8,

' the chain 9 of which passes through the usual eyeletlO provided in the surface of the shell, the chain having attached to it an extension cord 11 by which the pull socket may be operated. The apex of the shell is cut away and the opening which would otherwise occur is closed by a flat circular disk 12, preferably integral with the side walls of the cone. This disk forms a seat for a porcelain block 13 disposed in the interior of the shell and which is secured in place on the disk by screws 14; passing up through laterally disposed lugs on the block (see Fig. 3). This porcelain block forms the re ceptacle for the circuit terminals and the lamp socket of the usual type, the terminals being connected by the usual leads in series with the pull socket and two conductive leads passing down through the outlet pipe 3. The seat 12 is provided with a centrally disposed opening, giving free access to the lamp socketwhich is adapted to receive the ordinary type of electrical lamp .15 when direct lighting is desired (see Fig. The exterior surface of the cone-shaped shell adjacent theseat 12 is preferably recessed to form an annular groove or sleeve 16- over which a shade holder 17 is adapted to slip, the shade holder being of the usual type, and is held in place by the bayonet slots 18 therein, which lock with the screws 19 pro 'jecting radially from the groove 16.

The structure thus far described provides a fixture for use in a. direct lighting system as the shade holder is adapted to support the usual form of shade, directing the rays of light, from the lamp downwardly upon the surface or space to be illuminated and is, in itself, a complete fixture.

In an indirect lighting system the form of fixture shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is utilized and requires only the removal of the shade holder 1?, after which the other portions of the fixture may be assembled without any disturbance of the parts which are already in position. In the best practical construction of my invention, this is accomplished by providing a hollow cup-shaped shell 20 of a size to fit over the groove or sleeve 16 to which it may be detachably secured by the bayonet slots 21 in the shell, and the screws 19, as before. This cup-shaped member is provided in its lower end with a centralopening through which the shank or sleeve of a tubular member22 is adapted to fit and which is secured thereto by a nut 23. The member 22 carries hooks 24: which form supports for chains 25, the lower ends of which support a dome shaped shade or canopy 2Q,

' which may be of opaque material when an I indirect lighting system is used, or may be translucent where a semisindirect system is desired. A second lamp' socket 27, which is adapted to receive a lamp 2 to furnish the source of illumination is rigidly supported upon a hollow tubular member 29 which. at its upper end is connected by the links 30 to the tubular member 22. This lamp socket is adapted to be connected to the lamp socket carried by the cone-shaped shell by a plug and cord attachment, the plug 31. of which is screwed into the socket 123 in the ceiling piece. The conductors 32 leading from the plug 22 pass down through the tubular member 22 and hollow rod 29 and are connected to the lamp socket 27. It will therefore be seen that the cup-shaped shell 20 serves as a housing for the plug 31 and the exposed ends of the lamp socket 13,

together withthe length of exposed. con

ductors 32 which are necessary to make the attachment. When the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 1, the cup 20 practically forms a continuation of the cone-shaped shell so that there are no exposed electrical connections or make-shift connections to mar the beauty of the fixture.

To reconvert the fixture for use with a. direct lighting system, it is only necessary to loosen the screws 19 which hold the shell 20 in place, and the entire structure including the chain, canopy, socket 2'7, and rod 29 may be removed as a single unit and the shade holder 17 replaced, which changes may be made without the services of a skilled electrician, and requiring no tools other than a means for loosenii'ig and tightening the screws 19 which hold the shade l7 and shell 20 in place. The extreme sin'iplicity of the convertibility of the fixture is one of its dc-- cided advantages, since it permits the por.

tion of the fixture to be used for direct llghtlng to be installed throughout the whole building and where desired the additional unit may be supplied if indirect lighting is -rect lighting system, and it is not my intention to limit the invention to the particular form of connections described but only by the scope of the appended claims.

The shell 20 has another important function apart from' its use with an indirect lighting system. It will be seen that by removing the inverted shade 26 and the-chains 25 a drop light is provided which is of extremely attractive appearance since the electrical connections including the plug 31 and socket 12 are entirely concealed by the tu- Iloular shell 20, and it is my intention to ceiling or the like and carries means for 1e ceiving a lamp, shade, and shade holder to constitute a complete fixture for direct lighting, the other of said units being adapted tobe detachably secured to said first named unit in lieu'of said shade and shade holder,

-. and comprises connections for supporting 'a lamp and inverted shade at a distance from said first named unit and constituting with said first named unit a complete fixture for indirect lighting.

2. A lighting fixture comprising a member adapted to he supported from the ceiling and carrying a lamp socket, a second; lamp socket, electrical connections therefor including a cord and a plug adapted to fit into said first named socket, .and a housing for said plug detachably. secured to said first named member.

3. A lighting fixture comprising a member adapted to he supported from the cciling and carrying a lamp socket, a second lamp socket, electrical connections therefor including a cord; and a plug adapted to into said first named socket, a housing for said plug detachably secured to said first named member, an inverted shade, and members for supporting said shade from said housing.

' 4. A lighting fixture comprising an inverted substantially cone-shaped. shell adapted to be supported from a ceiling and carrying a lamp socket in its downwardly extending narrow end, a second lamp socket,

electrical connections therefor including a cord and a plug adapted to fit into said first named socket, and a housing for said plug fitting over and detachably secured to the narrow end'ot' said cone-shaped member.

5. A lighting fixture comprising an inverted substantially cone-shaped shell adapted to be'supported from a ceiling and car" rying a lampsocket in its downwardly ex;- tending narrow end, a second lamp socket, electrical connections therefor including a cord and a plug adapted to [it s named socket, a housing for said plug H ting over and detachably secured to the narrow end of said cone-shaped member, an inverted. shade, and members for supporting said shade connected to said housing.

6. A lighting fixture e01 ing an inverted, hollow, substantially cone-shaped member adapted to he supyur-rted from a ceiling and carrying a lamp socket in its downwardly extending narrow Kl, a sec ond lamp socket, a cord and :ment therefor, said plug X first named socket, and a housing for said plug and socket comprising a cup-shaped shell fitting over and detaohahly secured to the end of said member and virtually form ing a continuation thereof.

7. A lighting fixture for direct and indirect lighting systems consisting of two units, one of units being rigidly supported from the ceiling and carrying an electric lamp socket in its lower end, the other of said units comprising an inverted shade, supporting members therefor, a second lamp socket and its electrical connections for connecting it to said first named socket.

in witness whereof, l subscribe my sig nature, in. the presence uiitWO witnesses,

JOHN H, DALE.

ll/ itnesses:

VVAL-rnn Q. Hess, (I. l Bonn.

g attach .ig into said 

